Microbial syngas conversion by mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic mixed-cultures

Abstract

Synthesis gas (or syngas) can be produced from the gasification of a variety of recalcitrant or biodegradable wastes. Syngas is a mixture composed of mainly H2, CO and CO2 that can be used in a biological process for the production of fuels or usable chemicals. The main goal of this work was to study the physiology and microbial composition of anaerobic cultures able to utilize syngas. The results indicated that the thermophilic sludge inoculum presents a promising carboxydotrophic potential comparing to the mesophilic sludge inoculum. Monitoring of microbial structure of thermophilic enriched cultures by using PCR-DGGE and cloning techniques showed that bacterial community profiles clustered in three different groups.